Makonde Pre-School

"Somente com o apoio dos nossos irmãos e irmãs podemos criar nossos filhos juntos".

"Only with the help of our brothers and sisters can we raise our children together".

Inspired by the Makonde Tree of Life sculptures of northern Mozambique, this preschool is conceived as an architecture of interdependence. Like the carved figures that draw strength through their connection to one another, the building is formed from a family of linked elements that collectively create a place of protection, learning, and belonging. Each part gains meaning through its relationship to the whole, reflecting the shared responsibility of nurturing the next generation.

Designed for children with disabilities, the school becomes a welcoming heart of the community—a place where learning, creativity, and everyday life unfold together. Its organization encourages both focused moments of discovery and spontaneous encounters, allowing movement, conversation, and play to shape the experience of the building. Open, permeable, and connected to its surroundings, the architecture reinforces the idea that education is fundamentally a communal act.

At its center, a sheltered sunken learning courtyard forms the social and symbolic heart of the project. Raised building volumes define this protected space while opening generously to light, air, and the surrounding landscape. The elevated form provides safety from seasonal hazards and wildlife, yet its greater purpose is to create a place where gathering, exchange, and shared experience can flourish. From afar, the clustered forms recall the canopy of a grove of trees—offering both refuge within and a quiet expression of optimism to the community beyond.

The project is equally rooted in environmental stewardship and local participation attempting to address three critical issues:  First, creating a model for learning that can fulfill current academic needs and requirements, but also act as a living reference for future institutions.  Second, closely engaging the local community in the project’s formation (both its end construction and material sourcing/fabrication).  Lastly, helping to address the growing environmental concern over waste plastics.  CRPP - Composite Recycled Plastic Panels (i.e. NevHouse CRPP Systems), are modular building materials reformed using mixed plastic waste and are proposed as the principal material for walls, roofs, and floors.  This process transforms an environmental detriment into a durable architectural resource. The source collection, processing, and fabrication of these waste materials create opportunities for local employment and income while demonstrating how overlooked resources can be reimagined as useful, sustainable materials contributing to places of lasting value and fostering a sense of shared ownership from its earliest stages.

More than a building, the school proposes a framework for collective investment in the future. It is an architecture that grows from cooperation, where thoughtful design, local craftsmanship, environmental responsibility, and community participation come together to support the dignity, potential, and well-being of every child.